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moonrosebooks 's review for:
The Bewitching
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
“The Bewitching” is a paranormal horror book, with gothic and dark academia vibes. I had never read anything by this author and I must say that I really liked Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing style. The story flows very well and I appreciated the change of timeline in each chapter, which never seemed forced or disconnected from the events narrated in the previous chapter, which intertwine perfectly with the progress of the plot. The detailed descriptions of the settings and events made me feel as I was part of the story. I found the story of all three timelines very interesting. I definitely recommend this books to people who love stories of witchcraft, but a kind of witchcraft than the usual we find in other books: here the witches are no victims of a strongly religious, toxic and bigoted society, here the witches are malevolent and very dangerous entities, predators who feed on the blood of their victims and devour their hearts to strengthen their power. It was very interesting, since I was not aware of it, to discover that this type of witch is the one, apparently, most common in Mexican folklore. The author herself in the afterword tells us of the stories about witches that her great-grandmother told her, just as Nana Alba did with Minerva in the book. During the story we find ourselves investigating with all three protagonists on the mysterious disappearances in which they find themselves, willingly or unwillingly, involved and that will lead them to risk their lives in order to discover the truth. One thing is clear, especially to Alba and Minerva: at the root of all the strange events that torment them there is witchcraft, a powerful curse that could kill them if they don't find the way and the courage to do something to break it. I'm not an expert in the horror genre, but personally I found the amount of sense of unease in some scenes perfect, without ever being too much for me. Although the whole book was an enjoyable read, the timeline that I liked the most was that of 1908, in which there were also a couple of twists that I didn’t expect and made me suffer. As for the identity of the witches (because yes, there is more than one) I found them both predictable in both their identity and motivations, but I also think that this is not a flaw, since you understand it little by little, as Minerva and Alba's investigations progress. Everything is developed slowly, you don't get to the conclusion too quickly. In conclusion, I really liked this book and I recommend it!
“The Bewitching” is a paranormal horror book, with gothic and dark academia vibes. I had never read anything by this author and I must say that I really liked Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing style. The story flows very well and I appreciated the change of timeline in each chapter, which never seemed forced or disconnected from the events narrated in the previous chapter, which intertwine perfectly with the progress of the plot. The detailed descriptions of the settings and events made me feel as I was part of the story. I found the story of all three timelines very interesting. I definitely recommend this books to people who love stories of witchcraft, but a kind of witchcraft than the usual we find in other books: here the witches are no victims of a strongly religious, toxic and bigoted society, here the witches are malevolent and very dangerous entities, predators who feed on the blood of their victims and devour their hearts to strengthen their power. It was very interesting, since I was not aware of it, to discover that this type of witch is the one, apparently, most common in Mexican folklore. The author herself in the afterword tells us of the stories about witches that her great-grandmother told her, just as Nana Alba did with Minerva in the book. During the story we find ourselves investigating with all three protagonists on the mysterious disappearances in which they find themselves, willingly or unwillingly, involved and that will lead them to risk their lives in order to discover the truth. One thing is clear, especially to Alba and Minerva: at the root of all the strange events that torment them there is witchcraft, a powerful curse that could kill them if they don't find the way and the courage to do something to break it. I'm not an expert in the horror genre, but personally I found the amount of sense of unease in some scenes perfect, without ever being too much for me. Although the whole book was an enjoyable read, the timeline that I liked the most was that of 1908, in which there were also a couple of twists that I didn’t expect and made me suffer. As for the identity of the witches (because yes, there is more than one) I found them both predictable in both their identity and motivations, but I also think that this is not a flaw, since you understand it little by little, as Minerva and Alba's investigations progress. Everything is developed slowly, you don't get to the conclusion too quickly. In conclusion, I really liked this book and I recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Classism